Motorola

In Short

The father of the smartphone has some of Android's best

Motorola is a longtime communications company, the manufacturer of the first cellular telephone — and it may well be responsible for making Android what it is today.

Motorola wasn't the first smartphone maker, but it was the Motorola Droid on Verizon that helped make Android the household name it is today. The original Droid (known as the Milestone in Europe) sold millions and spawned a number of successors. The Droid MAXX on Verizon continues to be popular, though aging.

But Motorola struggled to make money, and in August 2011 it was announced that Google would purchase Motorola Mobility — they company previously spun off Motorola Solutions — for $12.5 billion. Hardware was just one reason for the purchase — patents were very much another. Google insisted that it didn't buy Motorola with the intention of continuing to lose money, and indeed Motorola began to lose less. But in January 2014, Google announced it was effectively unloading Motorola to Chinese company Lenovo for $2.91. (Much of the disparity in price is due to the paring down of the company, as well as Google retaining "the vast majority" of patents.)

Much of 2012 and 2013 was quiet for Motorola, but in August 2013 Motorola rolled out its rebirth — the Moto X. Wonderfully designed, with customizable features such as the front color, back casing (including wood!) and camera housing — and it was to be assembled in Texas. (Sadly, that assembly line shut down.) The Moto X was heralded as an above-average smartphone that bucked the oversized trend, and didn't fall into the trap of packing in unwanted features and redesigned software.

The Moto X paved the way for two lower-cost smartphones — the Moto G and Moto E.

19 November 2014 53By Simon SageMotorola has launched a handy little Bluetooth accessory that pairs up with your Android or iOS device so you can find your keys or your phone with minimal hassle. Hit the button the Keylink and your phone will ring, or tap the button in the app for the Keylink to ring....

06 November 2014 121By John CallahamUpdate: It looks like Motorola has sold out of its inventory of the Nexus 6. If you're aching for a unit, be sure to check back on Wednesday on the Google Play store. And if you can't get enough of Motorola, you can read our review of the Nexus 6's cousin, the Droid Turbo on Verizon....

28 October 2014 38By Chuong H NguyenAt the Code Conference, Motorola President Rick Osterloh says that his company's turnaround effort is similar to what Apple had undergone many years ago. But despite inviting comparisons, the similarities may stop there as Motorola is forging its own path...

15 October 2014 54By Alex DobieMoto X, Moto G, Moto E and 2013 Droids among devices getting Lollipop
Alongside the new Nexus 6, Motorola has revealed the first information on its plans to update its existing devices to the new Android 5.0 Lollipop...

16 September 2014 63By John CallahamMotorola has started pre-orders for the new version of the Moto X, and it's also kicked off its promotion campaign for the smartphone with a new series of TV commercials....

05 September 2014 10By John CallahamTELUS has just informed Android Central via email that the Canadian wireless provider will offer the new Moto X smartphone for sale soon, along with the Moto 360 smartwatch....

05 September 2014 20By John CallahamVerizon Wireless has joined with AT&T and U.S. Cellular to announced it will also be selling the new version of the Moto X smartphone from Motorola that was officially revealed earlier today....

05 September 2014 7By John CallahamU.S. Cellular has confirmed to Android Central via email that it will be selling the new version of the Moto X smartphone from Motorola and that sales will begin sometime later in September....

04 September 2014 214By John CallahamMotorola Mobility will start revealing some new "stuff" they have in the works at 2 am Eastern time early on Friday morning. That's 1 am Central time, midnight in the Mountain time zone and 11 pm tonight if you are in the Pacific time frame....

01 September 2014 63By Harish JonnalagaddaMotorola is set to unveil the successor to the Moto G, dubbed the Moto G2, at an event later this week. It looks like India will be one of the first countries where the new Moto G will launch, with Motorola set to announce the device in the country on September 5th...

28 August 2014 103By Andrew MartonikMotorola ran a contest yesterday on the questionably-useful "Yo" messaging app, with intentions to give away a Moto 360 to 20 winners. The contest has closed today and it seems that Motorola has picked winners... a lot of winners, many of whom actually haven't won anything...

28 August 2014 21By Richard DevineOne of the biggest shows of the year is upon us — here's a taster of what to expect in Berlin
Every September the world's tech press descends on Berlin, Germany, for IFA, one of the biggest trade shows of
the year. If you're not familiar, IFA could be described as Europe's answer to CES...

26 August 2014 32By John CallahamSprint has begun rolling out the Android KitKat 4.4.4 over-the-air update for its Motorola Moto X owners, which also offers owners of the smartphone some additional features....